Monter Verb Conjugation often confuses learners because this verb changes meaning depending on context and can use either avoir or être in the past. Monter appears constantly in daily French to talk about going up, climbing, assembling, increasing, or putting something on. This guide explains every tense and mood clearly, with translations and real-life examples.
Let’s start with what makes monter special.
What You Need To Know Before Conjugating Monter
Monter means to go up, to climb, to rise, to assemble, or to put on depending on context. It is usually conjugated with avoir, but it uses être when it expresses movement upward without a direct object. When être is used, agreement applies.
Indicative Mood
The indicative mood is used to describe facts, actions, movements, habits, and real situations.
Present Tense (Présent)
The present tense describes actions happening now, repeated actions, or general truths. In English, monter often translates as “go up,” “climb,” “rise,” or “am/is/are going up.”
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Je | monte | I go up / I am going up |
| Tu | montes | you go up / you are going up |
| Il / Elle / On | monte | he / she goes up |
| Nous | montons | we go up / we are going up |
| Vous | montez | you go up / you are going up |
| Ils / Elles | montent | they go up / they are going up |
Examples:
- Je monte les escaliers. → I’m going up the stairs.
- Elle monte en pression. → She is getting stressed.
- Ils montent rapidement. → They are going up quickly.
Now let’s see how French talks about going up or rising in the past.
Imperfect Tense (Imparfait)
The imperfect tense is used for ongoing past actions, repeated habits, or background descriptions. In English, it usually translates as “was going up” or “used to go up.”
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Je | montais | I was going up / I used to go up |
| Tu | montais | you were going up |
| Il / Elle / On | montait | he / she was going up |
| Nous | montions | we were going up |
| Vous | montiez | you were going up |
| Ils / Elles | montaient | they were going up |
Examples:
- Je montais toujours à pied. → I used to go up on foot.
- Elle montait lentement. → She was going up slowly.
- Les prix montaient. → Prices were rising.
To express a completed action, French uses the passé composé.
Passé Composé (Avoir Or Être)
The passé composé expresses completed actions. Monter uses avoir when followed by a direct object and être when expressing movement without one. The meaning changes slightly depending on the auxiliary.
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| J’ai monté | monter (avoir) | I went up / I assembled |
| Je suis monté(e) | monter (être) | I went up |
Examples:
- J’ai monté les valises. → I carried the suitcases upstairs.
- Elle est montée au troisième étage. → She went up to the third floor.
- Nous avons monté le meuble. → We assembled the furniture.
When an action happened before another past action, French switches tense.
Plus-Que-Parfait
The plus-que-parfait shows that an action had already happened before another past event. In English, it usually translates as “had gone up” or “had assembled.”
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| J’avais monté | monter (avoir) | I had assembled |
| J’étais monté(e) | monter (être) | I had gone up |
Examples:
- J’avais monté le dossier avant la réunion. → I had prepared the file before the meeting.
- Elle était montée trop tôt. → She had gone up too early.
- Nous avions monté l’équipe. → We had put the team together.
Some tenses are mainly useful for reading.
Passé Simple (Rare – Literary)
The passé simple is not used in spoken French. It mainly appears in literature and formal narratives.
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Je | montai | I went up |
| Tu | montas | you went up |
| Il / Elle / On | monta | he / she went up |
| Nous | montâmes | we went up |
| Vous | montâtes | you went up |
| Ils / Elles | montèrent | they went up |
Examples:
- Il monta la colline. → He went up the hill.
- Elle monta en silence. → She went up silently.
- Ils montèrent ensemble. → They went up together.
To talk about future movement or increase, French uses the future tense.
Simple Future (Futur Simple)
The future tense describes actions that will happen later, including physical movement or abstract increases.
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Je | monterai | I will go up |
| Tu | monteras | you will go up |
| Il / Elle / On | montera | he / she will go up |
| Nous | monterons | we will go up |
| Vous | monterez | you will go up |
| Ils / Elles | monteront | they will go up |
Examples:
- Je monterai demain. → I will go up tomorrow.
- Les prix monteront encore. → Prices will rise again.
- Nous monterons ensemble. → We will go up together.
Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive expresses necessity, emotion, doubt, or judgment, especially when the action is uncertain or desired.
Present Subjunctive
In English, this usually translates as “for someone to go up” or “that someone should go up.”
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Que je | monte | for me to go up / that I should go up |
| Que tu | montes | for you to go up / that you should go up |
| Qu’il / elle / on | monte | for him/her to go up / that he/she should go up |
| Que nous | montions | for us to go up / that we should go up |
| Que vous | montiez | for you to go up / that you should go up |
| Qu’ils / elles | montent | for them to go up / that they should go up |
Examples:
- Il faut que je monte. → I need to go up.
- Je veux qu’elle monte. → I want her to go up.
- Bien qu’ils montent tard… → Although they go up late…
Past Subjunctive
Used when the action happened before the main verb. In English, this often becomes “to have gone up.”
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Que je | sois monté(e) | for me to have gone up |
| Que tu | sois monté(e) | for you to have gone up |
| Qu’il / elle / on | soit monté(e) | for him/her to have gone up |
| Que nous | soyons monté(e)s | for us to have gone up |
| Que vous | soyez monté(e)(s) | for you to have gone up |
| Qu’ils / elles | soient monté(e)s | for them to have gone up |
Examples:
- Je regrette qu’il soit monté si tôt. → I regret that he went up so early.
- Bien qu’elle soit montée… → Although she went up…
- Je suis content qu’ils soient montés. → I’m glad they went up.
Conditional Mood
The conditional expresses hypothetical actions, polite suggestions, or imagined outcomes.
Present Conditional
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Je | monterais | I would go up |
| Tu | monterais | you would go up |
| Il / Elle / On | monterait | he / she would go up |
| Nous | monterions | we would go up |
| Vous | monteriez | you would go up |
| Ils / Elles | monteraient | they would go up |
Examples:
- Je monterais si je pouvais. → I would go up if I could.
- Elle monterait plus tard. → She would go up later.
- Nous monterions ensemble. → We would go up together.
Imperative Mood
The imperative is used to give instructions, encouragement, or orders, focusing on action rather than time.
Present Imperative
| Form | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| (Tu) | monte | go up |
| (Nous) | montons | let’s go up |
| (Vous) | montez | go up (formal/plural) |
Examples:
- Monte ici. → Go up here.
- Montons ensemble. → Let’s go up together.
- Montez maintenant. → Go up now.
Final Takeaway
The Monter Verb Conjugation becomes much easier once you understand how meaning changes with context and auxiliary choice. Whether you’re talking about physical movement, increase, or assembly, mastering monter gives you a powerful, flexible verb you’ll use constantly in real French.
